As a professional web designer and developer, I highly recommend Sams Teach Yourself HTML5 Mobile Application Development in 24 Hours (Learning Kit) for those who are learning HTML5 mobile application development. I enjoyed using the new Learning Kit format and found that it far surpasses the standard ebook (or paper book) approach. While it used to be that you would get a book with files on an accompanying CD-ROM, I found that I wasn't as likely to refer to the files that way. With the Learning Kit format, you get text, imagery, usable code snippets, interactive quizzes, and tutorial videos all inline--inside of a very convenient HTML application format!
The videos worked great--I used Firefox in Linux and was easily able to play videos including using the seek and fullscreen view features. The author explained concepts very well within the videos, and has a voice that is very easy to listen to. As I read and watched videos, I noticed that the web pages used in the Learning Kit can be scaled and viewed at any size. I was able to resize the web browser to half of my screen width and still view all the text and videos. Then I used the other half of my screen for application development and testing.
Sams Teach Yourself HTML5 Mobile Application Development in 24 Hours covers everything from the history of the HTML5 standard to proper HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript code. It walks you through building and testing elements of simple mobile applications. I was impressed to find that mobile applications and HTML5 were both explained from the ground up in a way that gives readers a solid foundation from which to explore more and develop their own mobile applications.
I was surprised by some additions, like the interactive quiz at the end of each chapter. I was glad to see both quiz and exercises included, when books from other authors often pick one or the other, or none at all.
The actual content gives learners many jumping-off points from which to explore various areas around HTML5 and mobile application development. The author gives enough information on auxiliary topics (or topics that are too long to cover within one text) to help learners find online resources for continued study.
Those who have used HTML in the past, but who are new to HTML5 will probably enjoy this Learning Kit. For example, it includes materials like a walkthrough video that shows how to quickly convert old-style HTML to HTML5. This was an unexpected but helpful addition to the text.
The text includes screenshots from actual mobile devices that show the way modern devices take advantage of features like the HTML5 telephone input type. When features of HTML5 or CSS3 raised questions about mobile device compatibility, I found that the author had anticipated those questions and addressed them directly.
The inclusion of information on fonts and typography in HTML5, audio and video elements, HTML5 forms, microformats, canvas, WebSockets, geolocation, and so on will make for fascinating reading to those who are new to HTML5. Sample code is provided and, far from being boilerplate, it makes helpful suggestions for incorporating third-party web services in cases where features can be enhanced, or usability can be improved.
Overall I was very impressed by Sams Teach Yourself HTML5 Mobile Application Development in 24 Hours. The Learning Kit format is very usable and helpful--perhaps even the future of book learning--and the rich multimedia content will help any HTML5 beginner get up to speed quickly.
- Marc Carson
Marc Carson Web Design